FY2002 Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management Grants

Alaska

In 2002, the Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) had a total of 700 sex offenders incarcerated in their state prisons with an additional 673 sex offenders under community supervision. Through this grant, the DOC proposed to establish reentry programming for sex offenders returning to the town of Bethel and the 58 surrounding remote villages. They sought support to establish rural sex offender management protocols, specifically responding to the increasing numbers of sex offenders returning to these communities that are lacking in specialized treatment service, while responding to the cultural needs of the population and building on the restorative justices practices already widely adopted in the region. Grant funds were used to assist two villages (Quinhagak and Hooper Bay) and one hub community (Bethel) to fill significant gaps through the establishment of two pilot Risk Management Teams.

The Illinois Sex Offender Management Board was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1998, and was charged with establishing standards for the management of sex offenders statewide. After three years of study—with the assistance of an OJP sex offender management planning grant—the Board submitted their standards and guidelines to the General Assembly in December 2001. Through this grant, the Board sought to implement these standards in ten pilot sites representing a mix of urban and rural communities. Approximately 1,700 adult and 400 juveniles were anticipated to be served through the grant.

Allen County, Indiana was awarded a grant to build on the experience of a re-entry court by establishing a sex offender re-entry program to transition offenders returning to the community from the Indiana Department of Correction Prison Facilities. The program served those ordered or paroled to home detention and those sentenced to probation for a sex offense. Approximately 100 offenders were be served through the grant over the first 12 months (27 sex offenders were on home detention; 42 offenders were projected for release from state prison by year's end; all but one of these offenders were male). Grant funds were used to hire a full time case manager, support a full time victim advocate, acquire two assessment instruments (the Sexual Violence Risk-20 and the Millon Personality Profile), acquire geographic tracking software, conduct local training, and purchase 80 electronic monitoring units.

The Iowa Department of Corrections sought to provide a comprehensive treatment and supervision program for sex offenders in two rural areas/counties of the state. A report on state sex offender treatment program standards found that these jurisdictions were unable to provide intensive supervision, lack educational support opportunities for family members of offenders, and need timely pre-sentence investigations and appropriate assessment for all sex offenders. Grant funds were used to hire and train two full-time probation/parole officers to conduct pre-sentence investigations and coordinate assessments, facilitate groups to educate family members of offenders about the dynamics of sex offending, and carry small caseloads of sex offenders in the rural areas/counties. Also, this project sought to increase release coordination between the Iowa Board of Parole and community corrections staff to facilitate better transition from the State's institutions to the community.

The Kansas Department of Corrections (DOC) received a grant to improve its statewide sex offender management program. The DOC developed a policy for treatment and supervision of sex offenders in the community as well as a sex offender handbook, which describes conditions of supervision. The previous program included an 18-month institutional treatment program, specialized sex offender parole, and community-based treatment as a continuation of the institutional program (the treatment providers are the same). Grant funds were used to coordinate a statewide collaborative team, train and educate specialized staff, conduct transitional and release planning, and enhance treatment strategies.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections, in partnership with the New Jersey State Parole Board, proposed to implement a sex offender management program designed to improve the community re-entry of adult male sex offenders under lifetime community supervision. In 2002, 905 offenders were supervised by the State Parole Board. Additionally, 2,181 sex offenders were in custody in New Jersey prisons; approximately 450 were released over the subsequent year. The New Jersey Department of Corrections used grant funds to hire a reentry case manager, provide treatment to 120 offenders over a six month period and provide re-entry case management to 60 of those offenders, conduct an effectiveness evaluation of no-fee treatment services for those receiving re-entry services and treatment, and support training for parole officers on sex offender supervision, case management, and community resources.

The Capital District Center for Sex Offender Management is a collaborative project involving five counties in upstate New York ( Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady ). As a prior OJP planning grantee, the team met regularly over the previous two years and conducted analyses of existing programs and identified gaps in services. The Capital District team used 2002 grant funds to target identified problem areas. Specifically, funds were used to create a sex offender database, conduct specialized sex offender assessments as part of pre-sentence investigations, conduct judicial training, develop a jail-based treatment program, improve capacity to conduct polygraph examinations, make treatment services and specialized vocational services available to sex offenders, provide training for clinical and other professionals, establish a new, coordinated approach to case review, and emphasize victim services and victim advocacy involvement in case reviews.

Through this grant, Delaware County, Ohio expanded and enhanced existing treatment and supervision services for approximately 40 juvenile sex offenders on probation supervision. The Delaware County Court proposed working with young juvenile sex offenders (7-12 year olds) as well. Most offenders remain in the community; only 4-8 offenders actually served sentences in state institutions annually. Many other offenders receive jail as part of their community probation sentences. The county has a history of collaboration and effective juvenile sex offender management within their community. They used grant funds to hire a full time grant coordinator and coordinate existing resources and supervisions, an intensive probation counselor, a part time victim advocate, and a research coordinator. One of the primary outcomes of the grant was the implementation of at least five treatment foster care homes for juvenile sex offenders.

Oklahoma completed a collaborative planning process in March 2002, supported by a prior OJP planning grant. 2002 grant funds were used to conduct intensive training on sex offender specific supervision and treatment, providing eight containment model workshops and six, three-day training institutes. This training helped create a consistent approach to sex offender management statewide, with particular emphasis in the State's urban areas. An established collaborative team also worked with professional organizations statewide (prosecutors, law enforcement, criminal defense lawyers, etc.) to include information on emerging best practices regarding sex offender management into their professional development efforts. A significant research and evaluation effort was part of the project.

In 2002, adult sex offenders made up 20% of the South Dakota 's prison population and 9% of the state's parole population. There were 90 juvenile sex offenders in placement and 34 juvenile sex offenders on aftercare. This represented a significant increase over previous years. Treatment services were regularly available in only 3 communities. The South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) used grant funds to implement a standard assessment and treatment process for adult sex offenders on parole supervision and juvenile sex offenders on aftercare.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) received grant funding to enhance existing strategies to manage adult sex offenders. The DOC issues Special Bulletin Notifications to communities about certain sex offenders' impending release from incarceration. These notifications have caused fear and anger within communities, often negating the ability for offenders to find housing and employment. This project addressed these issues by providing housing and employment services, educating and engaging communities in reentry planning, utilizing the polygraph for monitoring, training staff in the use of the Static-99 and RRASOR assessment tools, and providing all probation and parole agents with a sex offender supervision handbook.